What Lies Beneath The Surface
by zgirl16
Summary: Taking place five months after 'More then Meets the Eye', Calista and Jirall have a new joy to celebrate... Which also creates a new problem and new danger for them. Will they make it through this...?
1. The Morning Of

_**What Lies Beneath The Surface**_

_This takes place five months after the story 'More Than Meets The Eye', so please go read that before reading this. It will help with understanding some parts. This will be a multi-chapter story. Enjoy!_

Calista nuzzled Jirall blearily that morning as she awoke, her eyesight fuzzy and her memory even fuzzier. Why was Jirall her beside her again? Why were his arms wrapped about her so tenderly…? Then it hit her, the memories, her secret, his loving pledge.

Which, this had occurred five months ago, but it still surprised the Countess-to-be how this once indifferent man was now so loving and protective. Although, in a way, she should have expected it, given how Jirall had always been surprising and astounding…. Even as a child he was unique, which, speaking of children…

She looked down quietly at her abdomen, her gentle hand coming to rest on it to greet the unborn child inside. Things had become joyful between the two, though still they had to wait and wait for the day of their wedding, which still had not come. During that time their affections only grew and they soon created life; life that they both loved and cherished, but knew Count Arganan would not be pleased by it being conceived outside of marriage, so they had kept quiet for the time being.

Not just Count Arganan, however, but Jirall's horrible and deceitful father; Duke Rambaldt.

That man would go to great lengths to protect his noble name, anything. He despised and feared any possible thing that could ruin his good name and often eradicated any source of it… Even including an unborn baby conceived outside of marriage, if need be…

Hence forth why Jirall and Calista had kept quiet about the pregnancy, not just out of fear of Count Arganan's anger and disappointment, but Duke Rambaldt's murderous tendencies and the possible danger they may offer an unborn baby…

Calista rubbed her stomach gently which had started to develop a slight, yet unnoticeable swell to it. She smiled lovingly; her blue eyes alight with delight. At the same time Jirall had begun to awaken but he didn't move or say a thing, simply cracking a golden eye and watching his pregnant betrothed with a loving gaze.

"Sweet child of mine… I do wonder whether you will be a girl or a boy… It doesn't matter though; your daddy and I will love you all the same…" She murmured softly to her belly, sending the unborn baby her message of love while trying not to disturb her presumably sleeping love.

That's when she closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the pillows as she rested her hands on the sides of her stomach. Jirall grinned at this, taking the opportunity to reach out and rest his hand on the tiny swell, rubbing gently.

Calista gasped at this, jerking her head up then giggling happily, smiling at Jirall. "Good morning, sweetheart…" Jirall grinned wide at her, gently kissing the tip of her nose. "Morning, my beloved..." He then kissed her stomach. "…And good morning, sweet child…"

She blushed at this, stroking Jirall's naturally curly brown hair as he nuzzled her growing belly, making sure his baby felt loved by its father. After whispering his sweet nothings to the growing baby he sat up, smiling at Calista as he wrapped gentle arms about her, nuzzling into her hair. "How do you feel this morning, sweetheart…?"

There was a pause before Calista answered, a soft sigh escaping her. "I feel uneasy, Jirall… Like something bad is coming… What if by keeping the baby a secret we will have made things worse? Yes, pretending to never have known or suspected pregnancy might work with my Uncle but…? Your father he could-"

Jirall abruptly cut her off, squeezing her gently. "No, Calista… He will not _dare _lay a hand upon you or the baby inside you. Even once you have given birth he will not touch him or her. Until the day you go into labour we must not tell anyone. We can offer sure protection of a newborn, especially with your Uncle's help, but the baby is indeed vulnerable inside you. Do you know how weak and unprotected from poison you are? Someone could sneak into the kitchen and poison your food and the servants would never know! You'd eat it and you might be savable but that baby eats what you eat and it would surely die from the poison before you! No, Calista, for our precious child's sake we must not tell a soul…"

Calista sighed at that, nodding weakly as she lowered her head to her stomach. Jirall let out a soft sigh, pressing a series of gentle warm kisses to her forehead. "I am sorry, sweetheart… I just want to keep you and the baby safe… It'd kill me if something happened to either of you… I love you both…" He tilted Calista's head up, kissing her on the lips, eliciting a small happy smile from her. He then dipped his head and kissed her stomach.

"Okay, Jirall, my love… I understand. It would kill me, too, if something happened to you or the baby. I am but four months pregnant, I should take the baby's safety seriously, as I couldn't deliver her alive at this stage… You're a good father, Jirall…"

"And you, my love, a beautiful mother…"

He nuzzled her gently, pulling her into his warmth and holding her with love. They adored these moments when they could just lay with one another, nothing in the world to disturb them. It was just them, listening to their heartbeats and voices, watching their precious child grow inside Calista.

Sadly, the peace never lasted long and something occurred to Jirall. Today was Count Arganan's birthday and they needed to get ready bright and early to help plan a birthday surprise for Calista's Uncle. Hopefully it would be a good surprise and not an annoyance to him…

"Calista, your Uncle's…"

"I know, let's get ready…"

They reluctantly pulled apart and got out of the bed, Jirall springing up like a hyper kid, not bothering to stretch while Calista got up slowly, taking a long stretch and rubbing her abdomen. In sync they made the bed up, giving each other grins and gentle kisses on the cheeks and noses.

They then hurriedly pulled off their night clothes and into their day clothes, Jirall making sure to caress Calista's bare pregnant swell as she choose a pretty blue and black dress to pull on, having plenty to frills to safely hide and protect her tiny pregnant bump. Jirall pulled on a black shirt and blue jacket to match Calista. They brushed their hair and, just as they were about to leave…

"My love…" Jirall's gentle voice stopped her and she turned around, about to ask what…

When he gently placed a blue rose into her hair, a loving smile gracing his lips which he pressed to hers. "It matches your beautiful eyes, sweetheart…" Calista blushed, reaching up and stroking the petals. "It's beautiful, my dear…"

With that they left their room hand in hand, that loving look still there in their bright eyes. Happiness abounds in their hearts…

… Walking straight into their nightmares.

_What did you think? I hope you all liked it and please leave a review! It'll encourage me to write and update sooner! Thank you for reading and I hope you read the chapters to come!_

_-zgirl16_


	2. Birthday Surprise

_Chapter two of 'What Lies Beneath The Surface'! Thank you all for being patient. I know my posts have been agonizingly slow, but I can assure you that I should be updating a lot sooner now. Which makes me really happy and I hope it makes all of you really happy!_

_Anyways, in this chapter I will introduce an OC. Now, before all of you OC haters start panicking and clicking the back button, I will inform you that this will be the ONLY OC that is not mentioned in the game. You'll have to read to find out who she is and what role she will be playing in the story! I hope you all like her and this chapter! ENJOY!_

**Chapter . 2 Birthday Surprise**

She looked down at her dress, examining it for any flaws. Upon not finding a single crease or piece of lint she smiled and went to the mirror. There she stopped before it and raised her arms high above her head and twirled, her dress spinning out around her. Her dress seemed to become a swirl of fire as the rubies upon it seemed to catch all the light in room, becoming the greatest source of light in the room, her bloody red hair adding in the fiery display.

Slowly she came to a stop, her dress falling back to her sides, the light her dress had created fading away and seemingly leaving the world a little darker. Though as the display died, the woman's beautiful appearance became even more obvious.

The dress' owner had beautiful bloody red hair that fell to her shoulder blades, and her green eyes sparkled like pretty emeralds. She was slender and curvaceous without the help of a corset, and she seemed to glimmer with the light that only a precious jewel could generate.

Though if you looked closely enough it could be an insane light in that pretty soul.

She studied herself in the mirror, a soft hum escaping her as she meticulously went over the details in her outfit. She seemed to decide that she needed no rich ornament in her hair, make-up or pricey piece of jewelry, and she quietly stepped away from the mirror. She looked to the clock and grinned.

7 o'clock.

"The party has started by now..." She murmured in a silky voice, slipping her heels onto her stockinged feet and moving to the door. She grinned, resting her hand on the door knob and murmuring as she slipped out the door,

"I'm coming, my love."

* * *

The party for Count Arganan had indeed started. All of Lazulis's rich and powerful had come to celebrate their ruler's Birthday, even though he didn't appear to be all that happy. He was simply sitting up in his 'throne' in the ballroom, isolated from all the talking groups of people below him.

Calista was sitting at an table that been set up off to the side, next to one of the pillars. She had her elbows resting on the table, not caring about etiquette as she felt very bad. She was sick to her stomach, feeling close to throwing up and was clammy. She sat in the chair trembling as she watched more people file in.

"Calista..."

She lifted her head, meeting her fiancé's worried golden eyes gaze. He sat beside her, taking her hand gently. "Are you feeling okay, sweetheart? You really pale and you feel so clammy..."

Calista seemed to take a deep breath, shifting to look at him good. She gave a gentle, reassuring smile as she squeezed his hand. "Yes, just some butterflies, you know? I've never been a fan of crowds, or parties, or loud music..." Despite her smile and gentle, squeezing hand, Jirall wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Sweetie, I don't believe that, I think something is wrong-"

"Jirall, your father is watching us, please stop worrying." She gently dipped her head in the direction Duke Rambaldt was. He stood with his head held high, watching them with cold gold eyes. He looked very much like his son, except his wavy hair was long and went to his shoulder blades with soft streaks of gray. He was quite handsome, once you look past his mean disposition.

Jirall smiled at this, faking it as he kissed Calista, murmuring quickly. "I'm going to go around and talk to try an act normal. Just relax, okay? Though please come get me if something seems wrong." He gave her another quick kiss before going off into a crowd of noblemen.

The rest of Calista's time seemed to go by in a blur, just a whole bunch of loud noises and chattering. Soon, even the people she had been watching began to all look the same, their faces all blurred together. Not even noticing a woman decorated in fiery colors entering...

Her abdomen began to hurt slightly.

Calista began to feel quite nervous, shifting about in her seat. She glanced about, making sure not a soul was watching as she stood... And something trickled down her leg. She paled, shakily shifting her dress aside to find that it was blood.

She let her dress shift back into normal position, a soft whimper escaping her as she fought off tears. She searched about for Jirall and spotted him near the knights. Calmly she began to walk to him, praying blood wouldn't drip on the floor. She gripped his arm, instantly giving h the tip something was wrong. He turned and pulled her close to him.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I'm bleeding."

"D...Down there?"

"Y-Yes, d-down there! We need to do something, o-our baby...!" She hissed, clutching onto him and trying not to sob. Jirall then frantically tried to find a quick way out, finding instead that all the exits were in Count Arganan's view... But...

"Sweetheart, try to see if Therius will escort you out. Tell him the entire situation, because I know you trust him."

Calista shakily nodded, kissing him quick and moving to Therius. The two of them had become brother and sister to each other. There to help and comfort. He was the only one to know how Jirall and Calista fell in love and that Calista was pregnant.

"Therius, I think I might be having a miscarriage, I need to get out of here!" She whispered frantically.

Therius's eyes widened, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, but then a sigh escaped him. "Calista, you've kept this hidden for long enough, your Uncle needs to know." "But Therius-" "No, you are going to tell him now, for he can get you the proper medical treatment!"

Calista went silent at that, before nodding shakily. Therius let out a soft breath, escorting her to her Uncle just before everyone was about to start dancing. Count Arganan lifted his head, watching them.

"Yes?"

"Uncle... I'm..."

_CLIFFHANGER! XD Sorry, I had to rush and cut it short. It was going to be longer, but whatever. Maybe it'll get more reviews. XD I hope you liked it and PLEASE REVIEW! XD Thank you and until next time!_


	3. Secret Love

_Chapter three of 'What Lies Beneath the Surface'! Sorry for taking so long, but writing on a phone is tedious and annoying. If I had my way I wouldn't write anymore until I had access to a laptop to write on but that might take a few years. Not to mention no one would be there to read my stories anymore..._

_Anyways, it'll be short but it's written with lots of love because... It's a birthday present! XD HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MYSTICAL! XD I hope it was an awesome day, and I hope this is an awesome gift for an awesome girl! XD ENJOY!_

* * *

Calista hesitated, her voices catching in her throat, the air burning in her lungs as it came out as a weak whisper.

"I-I'm pregnant... Uncle..."

Arganan's eye widened, the orb becoming a big cat of surprise, but not showing any other emotion. Yet, before any other emotion could enter, or any words could come out Calista continued speaking. This time her words were full of fear and desperation.

"You have to help me, please... I-I'm bleeding, and my stomach is killing me. Please, Uncle! Please... D-Don't let me and Jurall lose our baby, please..." Her hands were tucked under her tiny baby bump as she gazed into his one could eye, tears brimming in her eyes as they were full of fear.

Instantly Arganan felt a pang in his heart, a brief stirring of fear and pain he felt years ago. Images of tears falling and the nearly exact same sentence being spoken to him years ago... Of an empty cradle being packed away, shoved into a hidden corner to be ignored but not forgotten.

He stood, taking Calista by the shoulder gently. "Come with me." He then looked to Therius, dipping his head once. "Please, would you escort Lord Jirall to the first private room in the Hospital Wing?"

The Knight bowed as Arganan helped Calista out of the Ballroom. Soon after Therius escorted Jirall out...

...And all the while Duke Rambaldt was watching...

* * *

Upon arriving at the Hospital Wing it was revealed no one was on duty. Apparently everyone had off for Count Arganan's birthday.

So, he was forced to treat his niece himself.

After getting over her sobbing and awkwardness over. Having her Uncle examining her 'down there', shock and astonishment over took her. She was squeezing Jirall's hand as she spoke in a shaky voice. "U-Uncle... How do you... Know what you are doing?"

Arganan didn't immediately respond as he continued working, his gloved hands bloody. Finally he spoke softly.

"Some things are better left unknown."

She went quiet after that, letting him continue examining her. Eventually the bleeding stopped, while he was now nicely painted with her blood. He sighed, standing and pulling off his gloves.

"The baby... Will live."

At that Calista's eyes flooded with relieved, happy tears. "I-I... Thank you so much." She breathed, clutching Jirall's hand as he kissed her forehead. Then after a moment a question came to the forefront of her mind... "If I wasn't miscarrying... Why was I bleeding so heavily?"

Count Arganan laid a hand on her stomach carefully. "It appears you've been bleeding lightly for awhile. You most likely dismissed it as light spotting... Given how long you've been hiding this pregnancy, and from so many people... I believe stress caused your bleeding and cramps. This gala tonight most likely only put more pressure upon both you and the baby..." He gave her belly a gentle breif rub before pulling his hand away. "I suggest trying to keep your stress down, because the pressure you feel also weighs upon the baby..."

Calista nodded shakily, touching his hand. "T-Thank you..." Jirall nodded alongside Calista, squeezing Count Arganan's shoulder. "Yes, thank you for helping us... And excepting us and our situation..."

Arganan simply nodded, unable to get the words out to tell them that he had once been in their place, facing an unnecessary, heartbreaking death. All he could simply do was nod, throwing away his bloody gloves, and turn away.

"Stay here and rest. All three of you."

He left after that, walking out into the hallway even though he was covered in Calista's blood. Upon walking out he immediately ran into General Asthar. "Count..." Came his voice. Asthar came closer to Arganan, taking out a handkerchief and trying to wipe the blood away.

"Is Calista's child alright?"

Count Arganan gave him a questioning look, which caused him to smile. "It was just a lucky guess, I suppose..." Arganan sighed after that, nodding in response to Asthar's question. "Yes, her child will be fine."

The other man let out a relieved breath at that. He smiled softly, caressing his cheek slightly as he tried to clean the blood away. "I'm glad you helped her... Comfort her." Arganan pressed a hand against Asthar's. "I know what it is like to lose a baby, Asthar... I don't wish that pain upon anyone..."

Asthar gazed at him, seeing the hidden pain in the other's eyes. He pulled Arganan close, giving him a tender kiss on the lips, one that was returned. It was a brief, loving moment of passion, before Count Arganan pulled away, stroking Asthar's cheek.

"Thank you, love... But, I just want to take a quiet walk... Take in some fresh air and clear my head."

He nodded, pressing his forehead to Arganan's before pulling away. "I understand. I'll see you in the morning." They parted ways after murmuring their good nights and exchanging tender goodbye kisses.

Count Arganan wandered the moonlit halls for awhile, the guests at his birthday gala having left shortly after he left and didn't return. He made his way to the balcony over the Courtyard, leaning against the railing and gazing out...

... And he instantly noticed a red head twirling in the courtyard in a pretty flame dress. She was humming sadly as twirled, before sitting down... Sadness entering those familiar, glowing orbs as she whispered...

"... I missed him... I missed my chance."

Then it hit him, his eyes widening and his heart stopping in disbelief.

"Marissa!?"

* * *

_SURPRISE! XD Weren't expecting the ArgananxAsthar were you! XD Anyways, I hoped you liked it and the surprise! XD HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MYSTICAL! XD I hope it was awesome and that you love the chapter! XDDDD *hugs* HAPPY BIRTHDAY!_

_-zgirl16_


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